The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-09-15
ON THE BORDER.

fighting Indians as scout, and yet the
closest escape ever had from death was
With my eyes wide open and through
my own stupidity. Early in the seven
ties, I was down in the Indian territory
buying horses for shipment east. / had
o partner, and we Travelled with our own
team in a covered wagon. That terri
tory is not any too peaceful now, but in
1913 you not only wanted a trusty rifle
with you, but you wanted the knack of
dropping your man first. Travelling from
ranch to ranch as we did, with every
body knowing that we had money to
buy horses with, onr situation was one
requiring constant vigilance. There was
never night that both of us slept at
once, and never q day that we were not
on the watch for some plan to get the
better of us. In one trip of three months
we had five different watch dogs pois-
oned, and finally gave up trying to keep
one. You might imagine that it would
have been worth while for some of the
predatory bands roaming the country to
make an open attack on us, but the fell
lows reasoned differently. A couple OF
men armed with Winchesters and re-
volvers, and determined to defend their
own at any cost, are antagonists not to
be despised. Your western outlaw, with
very few exceptions, is just as careful
about getting bullet into his body as
any one else.
One day in July, while we were on the
north fork of the Canadian river, and
about twenty miles below Shawneetown,
me of the horses in our team was bitten
By a rattlesnake. l was driving, and l
saw the snake as it lifted itself from the
grass and bit the horse twice on the leg.
It was hot day, the horses well heated
up, and the poison took effect very soon.
We had no remedy for it, but were COM
PEELED to stand by and see the animal suf-
fer and die. 1t wasn't quite an hour
after he was struck before he was dead.
In buying horses we stipulated for deliv-
cry at certain points, and thus had no
spare ones with us. To make our team
whole one of us must take the other horse
and ride off and make purchase. had
been over the route before, and knew
that the nearest ranch was twelve miles
up the river It was now o'clock in the
afternoon, and we were within half a
mile of the stream and in wild and
lonely district of country. We had with
us in tin box in the wagon over "a, 900
in gold, and the misfortune to our horse
naturally increased our anxieties. My
partner insisted that should be the one
to remain with the wagon, and he had no
sooner moved away than began to make
things secure. The very first move was
to take the tin box from the wagon and
bury it in the ground under the vehicle,
and after that staked out the horse, saw
that every firearm was in good order, and
- around the camp to drive away any
btiles lurking about.
There was no use in expecting Patton,
my partner, back before o'clock or
later. He would doubtless find a suitable
horse at the first ranch, but the ranch
man might be away, or there were a
dozen other reasons to call for delay. We
carried provisions with us, and at about Q
o'clock built fire and prepared my
supper, and was about to begin eating
when caught sight of a horse and rider
approaching camp from the northwest.
The ground was open for three or four
miles, and as / had a glass with me
made out, while the horse was yet a mile
bnd half away, that he bore woman
On his back. Had she been q squaw the
the sight would not have occasioned sur
prise, but the first look proved that she
was white and that her horse was jaded
and coming slowly. As / held the glass
bn her l saw her turn and look back, as
bne pursued, and long before she reached
me / had become greatly interested in
her case. She rode straight for the
wagon, and when she finally came up her
orse was very much blown, and the
voman's face seemedlto betray both hope
nd fear by turns. She was an average
boking female, about 40 years old, and
she drew rein beside me we surveyed
bch other for half a minute before
(ther spoke. During that interval
ought an expression on her face which
I'd not at all like. II was sly, sinister
|ok, but it passed swiftly away, and was
bplaced by one of anxiety. / was the
rst to speak, saying:
"Well, are you in trouble?"
"In great trouble, SIR" she replied.
have been living with my brother on
small ranch about fifteen miles distant.
wo hours ago dozen drunken Kicka-
DO Indians visited the place, wounded
" brother and set fire to the house, and
ould have assaulted me had l not fed
this horse. They pursued me for
veral miles, and I-I'-
Here she broke down and began to cry
BID sob. What could do but ask her
dismount give her my promise Of pro-
ction, and say that when my partner
turned we would drive straight to the
nch and sacrifice our lives, il need be,
rcacue her brother and teach the In.